


Lightning Strikes

by The_Dream_Team



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Face Punching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28603917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Dream_Team/pseuds/The_Dream_Team
Summary: "It is our punches, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -James Potter, probably
Relationships: James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 16
Kudos: 41





	Lightning Strikes

**Author's Note:**

> Today was a hard day in America. 
> 
> Thought it would feel nice to write about punching Wizard N@z!s.

Tensions ran high around the halls of Hogwarts once the Head Boy and Girl appointments became known that September. 

James Potter hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary at first. Sure, it took a little getting used to all the new responsibilities, having never been a Prefect, but the busywork wasn’t so different from that of being a Quidditch Captain. Nobody treated him abnormally, save for Padfoot of course, who’s endless barrage of teasing hadn’t let up since James received his Head Boy badge earlier that Summer. But everyone else, his friends, acquaintances, and especially his Professors, were taking him more seriously than ever. Which he actually liked.

No, he hadn’t noticed the jeering, the shifts in attitude, or threatening whispers until his Head Boy duties required him to spend more time with the Head Girl, Lily Evans.

Sometimes James wished he could go back in time and take a picture of Evans’ face that day on the Hogwarts Express. When she walked in to see him sitting comfortably in the Head’s compartment, her red hair blazed as fiery as those bright green eyes he had admired for so many years. He always knew she would be selected as Head Girl. There wasn’t a single student at Hogwarts with half of her compassion, determination, or heart. Once she’d picked her jaw off the floor, Lily spent half an hour searching for “the real Head Boy” before crawling back to their compartment to shake James’ hand, the shock still evident on her face. It was that kind of tenacity that made him so fond of her. Even if he was on the opposing end of it. 

Having an excuse to spend so much time with Evans was a dream come true, but it also opened James up to a world he had never seen as a Pureblood wizard. A world where glares and whispered slurs followed you through the hallways. A world where catching a Slytherin in the corridors at night could lead to threats that weren’t quite as empty as the ones James and Sirius were used to. 

James wasn’t thick. He’d known for years that Voldemort had been stoking the flames of hate and division in the wizarding world, but he’d never seen the burns they left behind until now.

Barely a week had gone by before the first petition was sent around. A ballsy Ravenclaw had the nerve to ask James if he would sign the piece of parchment calling for Lily’s resignation from her Head Girl position. Anger wasn’t a strong enough description for the white hot electricity that coursed through his veins. He could feel the rage in his knuckles as he clenched his fists and then unclenched them.

He _calmly_ gave the Ravenclaw detention, then transfigured the parchment to glass before throwing it to the ground, shattering the petition into a million little shards. 

Of course, that little demonstration landed James in detention, too. But it was worth it. Especially when Evans heard what happened and attempted to reprimand him despite the impressed smile playing on her lips. His heart skipped every time he thought about it.

After the petition incident, the Slytherins became louder, claiming their rights were at risk if James Potter was allowed to single-handedly destroy official student body documents. It was rumored a group of seventh year snakes even managed to get an appointment with Dumbledore, though nothing came from it. Still, those whispered insults grew louder every day, as did James’ admiration for Lily as he watched her deflect the hate with her chin up and head held high. 

He thought she was the definition of grace. She claimed it was just learned from years of practice growing up Muggleborn. The electric current inside him gathered into an exasperated ball at the thought of an eleven year old Lily faced with such hatred. At _anyone_ faced with that kind of prejudice. He couldn’t see the color green anymore without turning red. 

So when the two Heads walked back late from Herbology one afternoon to discover a crowd of Slytherins waiting for them at the castle’s door, James’ fury was already quite close to the surface.

“Oh,” sneered a bulky sixth year, “did you think you were going back inside?”

“Move aside,” said James, as evenly as his temper allowed.

“I don’t think we will,” taunted Mulciber, a seventh year James had plenty of experience dueling with in the past. He smirked, knowing he could take the slimy git in combat if that’s what it came to. “You see, the school’s administration refuses to address our little _Mudblood_ problem, so we reckon it’s time we take things into our own hands.”

The electricity bolted through James’ chest and he reached for his wand, but Lily was quicker.

“And will you be using those same hands I covered in warts last week?” she responded, so casually she could have been asking about the weather. James glanced at her (ignoring the butterflies now mingling with his protective anger) in awe, unaware that she had been behind Mulciber’s recent trip to Madam Pomfreys. He beamed. She still managed to surprise him over and over again.

Mulciber fumed and turned to send a look at Severus Snape, who had originally hidden himself towards the back of the crowd. James watched Lily falter for the first time at the sight of that greasy twat. The lightning grew hotter.

“I think we’ve had enough of this,” said James, putting a hand on Lily’s shoulder to lead them both back into the castle. He felt his fingertips spark at the contact, connecting them like a united front. She regained her composure and confidently followed his lead, but the agitators held their ranks. A fourth year girl James recognized as the Slytherin team’s beater even had the nerve to unwrap a green and silver banner and wave it in Lily’s face. 

“Your magic will never be real like ours is,” called Mulciber as he took a step closer, blocking them from the entrance. This is our school, for our magic, and you will never belong here.”

The lightning in James’ chest struck and ignited every cell in his body with unbridled rage. He caught Lily’s eye and she nodded, giving him all the permission he needed to release the thunder. Without dropping her gaze, he let the electricity pulse through his arms and gather in his knuckles. 

With a quick rustle of his hair and a chancy wink in Evans’ direction, James cocked back his fist and let it soar, making sweet contact on Mulciber’s jaw with a CRACK. 

The sharp pain on his knuckles felt like victory and a rush of adrenaline begged him to continue. James threw his punches with pleasure, reveling in each blow. Next to him, Evans shot off hexes and charms in every direction, bounding up and petrifying every lousy bigot in her path. Her wandwork was unmatched and the beauty of it energized James’ fight more than attention or popularity ever had.

For years he had fought out of spite, out of traditional rivalries, and boyhood grudges. But as he watched Lily Evans brush hair out of her face to shoot him a blinding grin before sending a devastating hex in Snape’s direction, he knew now he was fighting out of love. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope this helped you as much as it helped me :)


End file.
